Video - Nigeria's Maiduguri struggles after Alau Dam breach

Floods caused by the dam burst have displaced over 400,000 people in Maiduguri. The city, already vulnerable from years of insurgency, now faces a new crisis.

CGTN

A boat capsizes in Nigeria drowning at least 40 people

A boat carrying mostly farmers capsized on a river in northwest Nigeria, drowning at least 40 people, President Bola Tinub u said Sunday.

The accident happened in Zamfara state, as farmers were trying to get to their land, Tinubu said in a statement. The president promised support for the victims and directed emergency agencies to assess the incident.

Yazid Abubakar, a police spokesperson in Zamfara, told The Associated Press the accident happened on Saturday and that five people were rescued, but 40 are still missing. It was not immediately clear how many people were on the boat when it went down.

The boat was carrying mostly farmers who use the crossing regularly to sell produce at the markets and locals say they’re often overloaded.

Zamfara state is rampant with armed groups who kidnap for ransom, steel cattle and engage in illegal mining.

Boat accidents are common in remote communities across Nigeria because of overloading and boats that are in poor condition.

In August, more than 20 people died in a boat accident on a river in southern Nigeria after the engine exploded.

Most boats don’t carry life jackets or have proper safety measures in place, say locals.

By Dyepkazah Shibayan, AP

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Video - 200 prisoners escape Maiduguri prison after flood

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that some Boko Haram commanders held at the Maiduguri New Prison were among those who escaped. Not fewer than 200 inmates have escaped after a devastating flood pulled down a prison wall in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

WION

Related story: Nigeria faces humanitarian crisis as floods ravage communities, farmlands

 

 

NNPC raises petrol prices again as Dangote fuel hits market

Nigerian state oil firm NNPC Ltd on Monday increased the price of petrol by 11%, the second increase in two weeks and a day after it started purchasing the fuel from the giant Dangote oil refinery on the outskirts of Lagos.

Nigeria expects the 650,000 barrels per day refinery to end years of imports of gasoline, which had been subsidised for decades until President Bola Tinubu began removing support when he took office in May last year.

The price of gasoline is a sensitive issue in Nigeria because many households and small businesses use it to power generators because the majority of citizens are not connected to the national electricity grid.

On Monday, NNPC said it had increased gasoline prices from 858 naira ($0.53) a litre to 950 naira in Lagos and as high as 1,019 naira in northeastern states. It said it buys the product at 898 naira per litre from the refinery.

NNPC said it had started buying the fuel from Dangote on Sunday in U.S. dollars and that a deal to purchase gasoline in the local naira currency was still to take effect.

The latest increase is likely to add to public anger as Nigerians are already struggling with inflation of 33.4%, which has driven up transport costs and caused a cost of living crisis that led to violent protests in early August.

On Friday, a Nigerian presidential committee announced that NNPC would distribute gasoline from the $20 billion Dangote refinery to the local market, ending a deadlock that had stalled distribution.

From October NNPC will supply 385,000 barrels of crude per day to be paid for in naira by Dangote refinery, which will in turn sell its fuel in the local currency.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

US Urges Nigeria to release Binance executive as health worsens

The US government is urging Nigeria to release an employee of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance who was arrested in February and has faced worsening health conditions in prison, according to two US State Department officials.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the issue directly with his Nigerian counterpart in May, as confirmed by the officials. US diplomats, including the ambassador to Nigeria, have since held private discussions with several top Nigerian officials, including the country’s president, finance minister, attorney general, and trade minister, advocating for the employee’s release.

The detained employee, Mr. Gambaryan, 40, has reportedly endured significant medical challenges while incarcerated, including a bout of malaria and complications stemming from a herniated disk.

US diplomats have stressed the need for his release on humanitarian grounds. According to his family, Mr. Gambaryan has not received adequate medical attention, leading to a rapid decline in his health.

Efforts to secure his release have escalated since June, with the State Department repeatedly pressing the Nigerian government over concerns about his lack of proper medical care. Despite this, his supporters are calling on the U.S. to take more decisive action.

Mr. Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, expressed her frustrations in an interview, saying, “I would be very upset if the US government welcomes Nigerian delegates with open arms,” referring to the upcoming visit of Nigerian officials to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

As Crypto Briefing reported, in May, Binance CEO Richard Teng demanded the release of Tigran Gambaryan, detained in Nigeria for over 70 days, warning of the dangerous precedent it sets for global businesses.

In June, US lawmakers visited Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan in a Nigerian prison, advocating for his release due to critical health conditions and inadequate care.

By Diego Almada Lopez, Crypto Briefing

Related story: US lawmakers say Nigeria is detaining American to extort Binance